Yarn feed for needling or knitting or the like



July 8, 1958 F. w. E. HoEsELBA Ti-j YARN FEED FOR NEEDLING .OR KNITTINGOR THE LIKE 7 Filed Aug. 4, 1955v INVENTOR July 8,1958 F. w. E. HoEsE BATH" YARN FEED FOR NEEDLING- 0R mirmmdon- 'IIHELIKE I Filed Aug. 4,-19552 sheet -Sheet 2" United States Patent YARN FEED FOR NEEDLING 0RKNITTING OR THE LIKE Frank W. E. Hoeselbarth, Carlisle, Pa., assignor toC. H.

Masland & Sons, Carlisle, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania 7Application August 4, 1955', Serial No. 526,503

11 Claims. (Cl. 2031) The present invention relates to feeding yarn forneedling, knitting or the like.

In needling of pile fabrics where a gang of needles are advancedtogether through a backing fabric, or where the different yarn ends arecarried to a knitting machine for knitting a pile fabric, it issometimes necessary to provide mechanism for variation in yarn feed.

The purpose in which this is very advantageous in needling is to permitvariation in height of loops by causing pull back of a loop previouslyformed or varying the tightness of the yarn which forms the loop so thatin repose, the loop has a predetermined height.

A further purpose is to decrease the time limit forselecting the yarnfeed.

With this objective in view, the present invention provides a simple,inexpensive and convenient pattern control for yarn feed.

The invention has the great advantage that pattern can readily bechanged, for example, by merely changing a sheet or series of sheetswhich are employed to produce the pattern.

In the drawings, I illustrate one only of the preferred embodiments ofthe invention, selecting the form shown from the standpoints ofconvenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and cleardemonstration of the principles involved.

Figure 1 is an electrical diagram-illustrating the structure of theinvention.

. Figure 2 is a detailed diagrammatic axial section.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic elevation of the pattern blanket.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective of some of the contact wires. I

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section through the group of contact wires.

Figure 6 is a repeat diagram.

Describing in illustration, but not win limitation, and referring to thedrawings:

In the prior art, control of feed of yarn has been used for needlingbyvarying the tension on an individual yarn end of a group of yarn endswhich are being punched through abacking fabric by a gang of needles inline. Similar requirements exist Where fabrics such as pile fabrics areproduced by knitting, since the size of the loop can be controlled bythe feed.

In accordance with the prior art practice, the change in pattern controlfor yarn feed in needling or the like, has been very difficult, oftennecessitating the replacement of an entire drum, or making a very largenumber of adjustments. Furthermore, under present practice, the speed ofoperation ofthe pattern control is often not adequate.

The invention provides a simplified method of controlling yarn feed bypattern, and in particular makes it possible to preserve and keep asimple pattern master for reuse, and also permits high speed operation.

In accordance with the invention, an arm 20 pivoted at 21 is manipulatedby any suitable mechanism, desir- "2,842,259 Patented July 8, 1958 ablya cam (not shown) to move it from position A to position B. A yarn clamp22 (Figures 1 and 2) mounted on the arm receives a yarn end 23 moving inthe direction of the arrow to the needle of the needling machine, or toa knitting machine or otherwise. The clamp consists of a stationaryjaw24 and a movable jaw 25 which is moved to clamping position by theenergization of a solenoid 26. The movable jaw and its associatedarmature are retracted by a suitable spiral tension spring 27 actingfrom an anchorage. As the arm 20 moves, it engages a series of contacts28, 30 and 31 suitably supported on an insulating are 32. The contact 28is the longest and extends over substantially the entire range of motionof the arm.

- The contact 30 is shorter and extends over a shorter range of motion,and the contact 31 is still shorter.

The arm 20 carries a movable contact 32' which is wide enough to engageall of the contacts 28, 30 and 31, and will receive current fromwhichever one is energized. The movable contact 32 connects to one endof solenoid 26, the opposite end of the solenoid being grounded at 33.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a hollow cylinder 34,which may be of wood, mounts on its surface pattern sheet or blanket 35(Figures 1 and 3), the blanket suitably being wrapped around thecylinder, having end portions 36 and 37 carried into a slot 38 betweenclamp ing jaws 40 and 41 on the circumference of the cylinder.

. The blanket is suitably made of an insulating plastic 42, and hasmounted on its outside, areas 43, suitably of copper foil or otherconductor which are connected in one circuit and conform to one patterncharacter, and areas 44 which are connected in another circuit andcorrespond to another pattern character. All of the elements making upthe pattern areas 43 are insulated from those making up the patternareas 44, but are connected to one another, and all of the areas makingup the pattern areas 44 are insulated from the pattern areas 43, butconnected to one another. In order to connect together each patternarea, each pattern area has .a metallic eyelet 45 or the like extendingthrough the insulation from the front to the back, and on the .back theeyelets of one pattern area are electrically connected by metallic wireor tape to the similar eyelets.

Thus as shown in Figure 1 all of the areas 43 are connected by wires 46,and all of the areas 44are connected by wires 46' and the Wires 46 areconnected to slip ring 47 engaged by brush 48 and the wires 46 areconnected to slip ring 50 engaged by brush 51.

Any suitable electric relayor the like may be used to energize aselected one of the contacts '28, 30 or 31 at each of the yarn ends. Itwill be understood that-at a given posit-ion of the selector cylinder,all-of the yarn ends which are to make pile,-fo r example for thebackground area, Will have their contacts 28 energized, all of thoseintended to form the pattern area 43 willhavetheir contacts 30energized, and allof those intended to form the pattern area 44 willhave their contacts 31jenergized.

The brush 48 is connected to one electromagnet 52 and the brush 51 isconnected to an opposed electromagnet 53 of a three position relay whichhas an intermediate position to which the contact maker56 is restored byopposed helical tension springs 54 and 55. When neitherone of theelectromagnets 52 and 53 is energized, the contact maker 56 engagescontact 57 at an intermediate position, connecting ground 58 and batterysource 60 to lead 61 which energizes a series of contacts 28, one foreach corresponding yarn end feeder in the pattern repeat. Ifelectromagnet 52 is energized the contact maker 56 engages contact 62which connects the power source tocontact 30 and a series of similarcontacts at corresponding feeders in each pattern repeat.Ifelectromagnet 53 is energized it connects the source through thecontact maker 56 to contact 63 of the relay, which applies current tocontact 31 of each feeder in the same position in the pattern repeat.

In operation of the device, the arm 20 slides through the full are fromA to B on each feeding step, for ex ample each needle stroke cycle ofthe needling machine. If, at the particular feeder, contact 28 isenergized, the clamp engages the yarn end at the beginning of the strokeandholds engagement throughout the stroke, feeding a relatively largeamountof yarn. If at the particular feeders contact 38 is energized, theclamps engage the yarn ends at an intermediate position in the strokeand less yarn is fed. If at the particular positions contact 31 isenergized, the clamp engages the yarn ends relatively late in thestroke, and still less yarn is fed.

As the arm reaches the end of the stroke, abutment 64 trips limit switch65 to one limiting position to interrupt the solenoid circuit andrelease the clamp. The limit switch remains in that position until thearm returns to the opposite end of the stroke and encounters abutment66, which again closes the limit switch.

It will be evident that any suitable contact making device engages thecontact areas on the blanket to provide electric current from the source67. In the preferred embodiment metallic wires 68, suitably of copper,have holes 70 through which an insulating rod 71 passes to support thewires. The wires are separated by insulating washers 72 strung on therod 71. The wires, at their lower ends, have openings 73 through whichan insulating rod 74 is passed, and around the rod and between the wiresis an insulated helical spacer spring 75, which may be a spring of anon-metallic resilient material such as nylon or a metallic springcoated with an insulating coating. The wires themselves are sufficientlyresilient to engage the blanket. The form of mounting shown in thedrawings makes it possible to add or remove wires for the purpose ofchanging the gauge of the carpet without threading in different spacerssince the spring tends to space the wires equally across the patternareas.

One great advantage of the device of the invention is that the patternblanket enables the designer to see the design in the actual form inwhich it is going to be used, and any required corrections ormodifications can be made with a minimum of study and experiment.

Figure 6 illustrates diagrammatically that there will be a series ofrelays and circuits which may be designated No. 1, which will controlthe yarn feeder A1 in pattern repeat A, the yarn feeder B1 in patternrepeat B, the yarn feeder C1 in pattern repeat C, etc. Similarly therewill be relays and circuits No. 2 which will control the yarn feeder A2in pattern repeat A, the yarn feeder B2 in pattern repeat B, the yarnfeeder C2 in pattern repeater C, etc. Thus there will be as many of thecircuits of Figure 1 as there are yarn ends in the pattern repeat, butthe same cylinder 34- will control all yarn ends.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are two devices ofFigure l with yarn clamps at dilferent positions along the yarn ends,180 out of phase, so that one arm 20 is moving from A to B while theother is moving from B to A.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications tomeet individual, whim or particular need will doubtless become evidentto others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits ofmy invention without copying the method and structure shown, and I,there fore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonablespirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my inven ion, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of feeding yarn in accordance with a pattern, whichcomprises advancing a clamp along a yarn over a predetermined path ofinvariable length, engaging the clamp with the yarn at a variableposition in respect to the end of the path, which accords with thepattern, and carrying the yarn forward from the position of clamping tothe end of the path by the motion of the clamp.

2. The method of claim 1, which comprises energizing a solenoid toengage the clamp at a predetermined position with respect to the path.

3. The method of feeding yarn in accordance with a pattern, whichcomprises moving a clamp back and forward over an invariable arcuatepath while carrying the yarn through the clamp, engaging the clamp onthe yarn at a selected position in the forward stroke with respect tothe end of the stroke, and carrying the yarn forward by the clamp, fromthe position of engagement of the clamp, to the end of the stroke.

4. The method of claim 3, which comprises carrying the yarn through aplurality of clamps and moving the clamps out of phase so that one clampretracts when the other clamp advances.

5. In a yarn feed, a clamp adapted to surround the yarn, means formoving the clamp through an invariable predetermined path, electricalmeans for engaging the clamp on the yarn at a selected position alongthe forward motion of the clamp and for releasing the clamp at the endof the path, and pattern control means for energizing the electricalmeans.

6. A yarn feed of claim 5, in which the electrical means includessolenoid means moving with the clamp for energizing the clamp anddesignator means for energizing the solenoid means at one of a pluralityof positions along the length of the solenoid means travel.

7. A yarn feed of claim 5, in which the pattern control means includes adrum having a plurality of first pattern areas interconnected togetherand having electrical connecting means in the areas, a plurality ofsecond pattern areas interconnected and having electrical connectingmeans in the second areas, the first areas being insulated from thesecond areas, and brush means engaging 'the pattern areas, and in whichthe electrical means comprises switch means interconnecting the firstcontact areas with the electrical means for engaging the clamp at oneposition along the length of the travel of the clamp, and switch meansinterconnecting the second contact areas with the electrical means forengaging the clamp at a different position along the length of travel ofthe clamp, the brush means being connected with the electrical means.

8. A yarn feed of claim 5, in which the pattern control means comprisesa contact cylinder having first electrical conducting areas distributedaccording to the pattern and second electrical conducting areasinsulated from the first and distributed according to the pattern, andbrush means riding the cylinder and making contact at a particular timewith one of the pattern areas, and in which the electrical means forengaging the clamp includes solenoid means, electrical meansinterconnecting the brush means to one side of the solenoid means,switch means having a first switch position interconnected with theother side of the solenoid means at one position along the clamp traveland interconnected to the first conducting areas and a second switchposition interconnected with said other side of the solenoid means at asecond position of clamp travel and interconnected to the secondconducting areas, and connections to a source of electric power in thecircuit.

9. A yarn feed of claim 5, in which the pattern control means includes apattern selecting cylinder having pattern areas defined on itscircumference and first and second contacts insulated from one anotherand occupying different pattern areas, and brush means engaging thecircumference of the selecting cylinder, and in which the electricalmeans for engaging the clamp comprises solenoid means operativelyconnected to the clamp, 21 designator relay having opposed relay coils,each interconnected at one end to the brush means, separate connectionsfrom the contacts in the first pattern areas as a group to the oppositeend of one of the relay coils and from the contacts in the secondpattern areas as a group to the opposite end of the other relay coil,connections to an electrical source in the relay circuit, and switchmeans making contacts at different positions in the clamp travel andconnected at different switch contacts 'to different relay contacts, andalso connected to the solenoid means for energizing the clamp atselectively dilferent positions.

10. A yarn feed of claim 9, in which the selecting cylinder has amovable insulating blanket carrying the electrically contacting patternareas and cross connections from one similar area to another.

11. A yarn feed of claim 9, in which the pattern control means includesa series of brushes, each connected to a metallic wire, common insulatormeans extending through the wires transversely, an insulating separator6 between the wires on the insulator means, and an insulating spiralspring extending transversely of the brushes and further separating thewires.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS495,472 Buxtorf Apr. 18, 1893 1,072,803 Ambler Sept. 9, 1913 1,863,049Hermann June 14, 1932 2,088,428 McClure July 27-, 1937 2,658,367Shortland Nov. 10, 1953 2,734,954

Kidd -2 Feb. 14, 1956

